StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

US policy in the Middle East - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East have always been defined by its national security and economic interests that includes containing terror groups, access to Middle East oil, checking regional hegemonic powers and prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.5% of users find it useful
US policy in the Middle East
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "US policy in the Middle East"

US foreign policy in the Middle East U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East have always been defined by its national security and economic intereststhat includes containing terror groups, access to Middle East oil, checking regional hegemonic powers and prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Prior to 9/11, US foreign policy can be categorized as passive by making alliances and cajoling and pleading its leaders to make peace. After 9/11 terror attack in the US, foreign policy in the Middle East transformed dramatically by using military might to assert itself and shift the balance of power to its favor.

President Obama may be less “cavalier” than his predecessor Bush but his employment of military assets and personnel in his foreign policy is still present. They however share the same method by giving aids, forging a network of security alliances that includes Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others (it recently broke tie with Egypt after the military coup d’etat) and also by brokering peace between Israel and Palestine. These policies of forging and keeping strategic alliances are still present today as well as U.S. traditional role of brokering peace between Israel and Palestine.

For example, in the recent debacle with Syria’s use of chemical weapons, U.S. threatened to “punish” Assad’s regime that such use of chemical weapons will not go unpunished. Such threat was not only US interest to maintain its status as the moral guardian and policeman of the word but also in keeping of one of its major allies interest – Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had been a staunch supporter of bombing Assad’s forces in Syria in its support of the Sunni dominated rebels and even pledged to foot the bill of the attack.

Russia’s proposal of surrendering the chemical weapons however worked that thwarted the US supposed attack. This of course did not sit well with Saudi Arabia and complained to the US that it is not doing enough to help the Sunni dominated rebels in Syria. Here we could see the traditional role of US policy of cajoling the leaders of its allies in the Middle East as a way of keeping them as allies. Obama administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East is said to be less “militaristic” compared to his predecessor President Bush who always capitalized on military might and economic sanction to impose its will on its enemies.

For example, the recent indication willingness of Iran to negotiate about its nuclear capability was welcomed by the US. This opportunity to just “talk” was even done amid the strong opposition of its closest allies in the region – Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel’s disagreement over the development to start talking with Iran was obvious with its Prime Minister Netanyahu describing the talk as a bad deal. Saudi on the other hand thinks that this is not a way to go in dealing with Tehran’s development of nuclear technology but rather wanted a more aggressive way to stop them.

US however proceeded to talk with Iran knowing that it already has strong ties with Israel and Saudi Arabia. This act of U.S. however is consistent with its interest of keeping weapons of mass destructions in check. US can afford not to yield with its traditional allies (such as Saudi Arabia, Israel) foreign policy preferences because it has already established a deeper relationship with them to the point that many of its citizens also had American lineage by virtue of pedigree (marriage), education (many Saudi technocrats go to the US to study) and length of friendship.

These special "interest groups" such as Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, fortify US alliance in the region that simple disagreement over foreign policy will not create any drawback on its relationship. In sum, US policy in the Middle East can be summarized as follows. First, it will use all elements of power from soft power to military force in securing its interest in the region. Second, it will defend its allies from external aggression such as what happened to Kuwait. Third, maintain the free flow of energy from the Middle East to the world and of course to America.

Fourth, to fight terrorism and dismantle their network and lastly, to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (Gaskell, 2013). Reference National Journal. (n.d.). NationalJournal.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013, from http://www.nationaljournal.com/national-security/obama-outlines-five-tenants-for-u-s-foreign-policy-in-middle-east-20130924

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“US policy in the Middle East Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
US policy in the Middle East Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1493072-us-policy-in-the-middle-east
(US Policy in the Middle East Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
US Policy in the Middle East Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/history/1493072-us-policy-in-the-middle-east.
“US Policy in the Middle East Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1493072-us-policy-in-the-middle-east.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF US policy in the Middle East

Oil and us foreign policy in middle East

OIL PRICES AND US FOREIGN POLICY IN MIDDLE EAST Date Introduction US Foreign policy in the middle east is strongly tied with its interest of oil in the region, and more so, preserving interests with major social and cultural powerhouses in the region.... Since the United States plays a fundamental leadership role in dealing with OPEC countries the volatility of Middle Eastern nations causes major fluctuations in oil prices, there is the need to understand the foreign policy of the US in the middle east....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

American and Soviet Policies towards Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Cold War

The involvement of America and Russia in the Arab-Israeli conflict is considered by many as ‘part and parcel' of the cold war and being fought in the middle east theater.... hellip; In this scenario, Russian intervention in the middle east problem, even though not yet a thing of the past, has lost much of its teeth, and may be much of its voice too.... The ‘political Vacuum' With the withdrawal of the colonial powers, Britain and France, from the middle east after WW II, there was a virtual political vacuum in the region....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Why dose the united states have an inconsistent policy in the middle east

For a long time, historians, observers and politicians have accused the United States of imposing inconsistent policies in different… Many people consider that the US policies in the middle east have been compounded by complicated political interests, a fact that is blamed for the inconsistency in policies in the region.... The US policies in the The long standing conflict between Israel and Palestine has been one of the defining factors of how the US relates with the other countries in the middle east....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

50 Year of US Policy in the Middle East

In the paper “50 Year of US policy in the Middle East” the author analyzes Middle East today and in the future as a major target for a myriad of religious conflicts and wars, which were fought over the rich resources found there and the amount of land.... Therefore the Western population is highly accustomed to the propaganda of the Middle Eastern regions, and this has also brought Islam in the middle.... Therefore the Western population is highly accustomed to the propaganda of the Middle Eastern regions, and this has also brought Islam in the middle....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

The US policy in the Middle East should encourage mutually beneficial trade between the two trading blocks (Sorensten 116).... The US foreign policy in the middle east should involve a wide consideration of dynamics.... The US foreign policy in the middle east should view the region as a new hub for economic gain.... Trade treaties that allow for continued investments in the middle east should be encouraged.... the middle east boasts of the world's largest oil reservoirs....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

For Jews, Jerusalem is the capital of David and Solomon's kingdom.... For Christians, it is the location of the Passion and the Crucifixion.... And for Muslims, it is the place from where Muhammad… Due to its religious significance, the city has been a disputed region for decades and the struggle for control continues in the form of Israeli Palestinian conflict (Gelvin, 2007)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century

The case study "Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century" states that The International Cooperation for the Suppression of Terrorism (ICST) is a movement conceptualized by the Security Council in hopes of suppressing and fighting terrorism.... One of the problems is the lack of available legal remedies....
14 Pages (3500 words) Case Study

The Reasons for the Strained US Foreign relations in the Gulf Region

In particular, the middle east Gulf region has been the epicenter of the geopolitics involving oil production and violence that saw the US adopt the Carter doctrine of 1980 (Atkinson 81).... Some critics have argued that the US incursion to the middle east and oil-rich Gulf region has been motivated by the pursuit to stamp its authority and control the valuable oil product and energy in the global market.... Many political scientists agree that the geopolitics revolving issues to do with global peace, energy reserve control, and ideological divergence of the US and the middle east are important causal factors that have strained the US and regional political stability....
8 Pages (2000 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us